Three land defenders receive suspended sentences for their defence of Wet’suwet’en territory against CGL megaproject

Published by Brent Patterson on October 17, 2025 October 21, 2025

Today, three Indigenous land defenders were sentenced at the conclusion of a three-day hearing in Smithers, British Columbia.

Sleydo’, Shaylynn Sampson and Corey Jocko were sentenced by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Tammen. The sentence was read as Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan hereditary leaders watched from the jury box in the courtroom.

CBC News reports: “For criminal contempt, Sleydo’ was sentenced on Friday to 17 days, Corey Jocko received a sentence of 12 days, Shaylynn Sampson to 9 days. However, their terms are suspended and jail time will only be served if there are further injunction breaches in the next year. Each must complete 150 hours of community service.”

Crown prosecutors had been seeking 30 days in jail for Sleydo, 25 days in jail for Jocko and 20 days in jail for Sampson less time already served in custody with a further reduction of 2-5 days for acknowledged violations of their Charter rights.

Defence lawyers Frances Mahon and Quinn Candler had sought a sentence of time served or a conditional sentence order, with 100 to 150 hours of community service. The defence also asked if the court concluded that additional jail time was required that this be served in the community rather than in a provincial jail as the Crown sought.

Justice Tammen stated he largely agreed with the Crown’s submission and determined sentences of 30 days for Sleydo’, 25 days for Jocko and 20 days for Sampson before credits for time served and for violations to their Charter rights, but chose to suspend the implementation of those custodial sentences.

Justice Tammen also commented during his 45-minute ruling this morning: “I am also mindful of the fact that the dark shadow of the legacy of colonization looms large in the broader backdrop to this case. …If by suspending the implementation of the remaining jail sentence in this case, I can advance the goal of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, even infinitesimally, I should seriously consider it.”

The Gidimt’en Checkpoint social media post highlights: “Sleydo’, Shaylynn and Corey did not go to prison! …We are all excited about this precedent setting decision and all that it encompasses. …This is a win for all indigenous people and our ancestors that fought and died for us to be here.”

Yintah Access video of comments outside the courthouse after the ruling.

The Interior News reports that Sleydo’ remarked:

“I just want to thank everybody for coming, and also just to thank our niwhts’ide’ni, our ancestors, for all the work that we could be here today, and the words and the teachings and the laws that they fought to hand down to us, so that we had something to stand on during all of this. And that was the most empowering thing. And the most important thing to me was that no matter what they said, no matter what they did, they couldn’t touch us, because we’re standing on what our ancestors fought and died for.”

And Sampson stated:

“Since the beginning, I feel like we’ve always known that justice wouldn’t flow from these halls. Justice comes from being on our land and occupying our territory and living and breathing life into our cultures, the Gitxsan and the Wet’suwet’en and the Haudenosaunee are strong people, some of the first and the last people to be colonized on these lands, and we stand here today stronger than ever to continue this fight for our people, for the future generations.”

RCMP raid in November 2021

The sentencing dates back to their arrest by heavily armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) officers on November 19, 2021, at an ancestral village site being used for a drill pad by Coastal GasLink as it built their fracked gas pipeline across the Wedzin Kwa river without free, prior and informed consent on unceded Wet’suwet’en territory in northern British Columbia.

This past February, the court ruled during an abuse of process hearing that RCMP C-IRG officers had made “grossly offensive, racist and dehumanizing” remarks during the arrest and that there would be a reduction in their sentences for criminal contempt as an “appropriate” remedy. There has also been a finding that officers entered without a warrant the cabins the land defenders were residing within.

The Interior News further reports: “The ruling hinged on the ‘serious misconduct’ of RCMP officers during and after the trio’s arrests on Nov. 19, 2021, and on the historical context that led to Sleydo’, Jocko, and Sampson breaching a 2019 court injunction by blockading access to a worksite near Houston.”

The sentencing hearing this week was observed by representatives from Peace Brigades International-Canada, Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders.

Hagwilget Village Chief Yaga’lahl (Dora Wilson), second from the left in the blue coat, worked with the Hereditary Chiefs on the Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa case that led to the historic Supreme Court of Canada decision on December 11, 1997.

Further reading

Supporters Cheer After Indigenous Land Defenders Avoid Jail (Amanda Follett Hosgood, The Tyee, October 20, 2025)

Wet’suwet’en blockade defendant says she welcomes freedom to be back on the land (Edzi’u Loverin, CBC News, October 20, 2025).